A former vice president of operations at Prism Career Institute, a private, post-secondary educational institution with campuses in Cherry Hill, Egg Harbor Township, N.J., and Pennsylvania, admitted today that she stole more than $400,000 from her employer between 2008 and 2011, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Diane Bowler, 53, of Sewell, in Gloucester County, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb in Camden federal court to embezzling, stealing, and obtaining by fraud money belonging to Prism Career Institute, which receives federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education.

Authorities said Bowler was a regional vice president of operation at Prism, authorized to make purchases on behalf of the institute with her personal credit cards and then submit the receipts of these purchases to Prism for reimbursement.

Bowler admitted that she stole more than $400,000 from Prism by submitting fraudulent reimbursement requests for purchases of supplies, furniture, equipment, and other items that were never received by Prism. Authorities said she falsified invoices by cutting

and pasting new dates and invoice numbers onto prior receipts for purchases and by fraudulently creating invoices for certain vendors with which Prism no longer did business.

Authorities said Bowler would forge the CEO of Prism’s signature on reimbursement checks and in some instances signed the checks herself before depositing the money into her personal bank account.

Bowler pleaded to theft from programs receiving federal funds which carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.